Source : Gowans

Source Title The Catalogues of William Gowans
Description William Gowans began as a New York book dealer around 1830 and continued until his death in 1870. Beginning about 1842 he began to issue catalogues once a year. They were at first relatively brief and simple but in time became more bibliographically complex and useful to the antiquarian. His best cataloguing efforts date from the mid 1850's and specifically from No. 14 on. A story about him can be found by searching GOWANS in the AE archives. This story appears in the July, 2004 issue of AE Monthly.
Scope of Text There are in total 28 catalogues and they each contain from 200 to 500 items in formats of 40 and 52 pages. While Mr. Gowans cannot be easily compared to 20th century dealers, by the standards of the day, he was a formidable bookseller.
Total Records in AED 309
  • <b>Bonhams, Oct. 13-23:</b> These are the Times that Try Men's Souls, Thomas Paine. $80,000-$120,000 <b>Bonhams, Oct. 13-23:</b> Manuscrpit from Aboard The Discovery, Signed by George Vancouver. $80,000-$120,000 <b>Bonhams, Oct. 13-23:</b> Exceedingly Rare Holograph Fragment of James Cook's Logbook. $80,000-$120,000 <b>Bonhams, Oct. 13-23:</b> Colonial America: The Collection of William Nesheim: Thomas Lechford: Important First-Hand Account of Life in New England. $40,000-$60,000 <b>Bonhams, Oct. 13-23:</b> The First Expanded Edition of Common Sense, Thomas Paine. $30,000-$50,000 <b>Bonhams, Oct. 13-23:</b> California! The Gold Rush Collection of Bruce Maclin: Album of Exceptional California Lettersheets. $20,000-$30,000 <b>Bonhams, Oct. 13-23:</b> California! The Gold Rush Collection of Bruce Maclin: An Exceptional Group of Gold Rush Letters, c. 1849-1850. $20,000-$30,000 <b>Bonhams, Oct. 13-23:</b> Colonial America: The Collection of William Nesheim: Mather's King Phillips War Tract 1639-1723. $15,000-$25,000 <b>Bonhams, Oct. 13-23:</b> Colonial America: The Collection of William Nesheim: The First Contemporaneous Account of the Salem Witch Trials, Cotton Mather. $15,000-$25,000 <b>Bonhams, Oct. 13-23:</b> Poor Richard's Almanack 1749, Benjamin Franklin. $15,000-$20,000 <b>Bonhams, Oct. 13-23:</b> California! The Gold Rush Collection of Bruce Maclin: Fruits of Mormonism by Nelson Slater. $15,000-$25,000 <b>Bonhams, Oct. 13-23:</b> California! The Gold Rush Collection of Bruce Maclin, Across the Plains in '49 by Emanuel Goughnour. $12,000-$18,000
    Bonhams, Oct. 13-23: These are the Times that Try Men's Souls, Thomas Paine. $80,000-$120,000
    Bonhams, Oct. 13-23: Manuscrpit from Aboard The Discovery, Signed by George Vancouver. $80,000-$120,000
    Bonhams, Oct. 13-23: Exceedingly Rare Holograph Fragment of James Cook's Logbook. $80,000-$120,000
    Bonhams, Oct. 13-23: Colonial America: The Collection of William Nesheim: Thomas Lechford: Important First-Hand Account of Life in New England. $40,000-$60,000
    Bonhams, Oct. 13-23: The First Expanded Edition of Common Sense, Thomas Paine. $30,000-$50,000
    Bonhams, Oct. 13-23: California! The Gold Rush Collection of Bruce Maclin: Album of Exceptional California Lettersheets. $20,000-$30,000
    Bonhams, Oct. 13-23: California! The Gold Rush Collection of Bruce Maclin: An Exceptional Group of Gold Rush Letters, c. 1849-1850. $20,000-$30,000
    Bonhams, Oct. 13-23: Colonial America: The Collection of William Nesheim: Mather's King Phillips War Tract 1639-1723. $15,000-$25,000
    Bonhams, Oct. 13-23: Colonial America: The Collection of William Nesheim: The First Contemporaneous Account of the Salem Witch Trials, Cotton Mather. $15,000-$25,000
    Bonhams, Oct. 13-23: Poor Richard's Almanack 1749, Benjamin Franklin. $15,000-$20,000
    Bonhams, Oct. 13-23: California! The Gold Rush Collection of Bruce Maclin: Fruits of Mormonism by Nelson Slater. $15,000-$25,000
    Bonhams, Oct. 13-23: California! The Gold Rush Collection of Bruce Maclin, Across the Plains in '49 by Emanuel Goughnour. $12,000-$18,000
  • <b><center>Rare Book Hub is now mobile-friendly!</center></b>
    Rare Book Hub is now mobile-friendly!
  • <b><center>Sotheby’s<br>By a Lady<br>1-15 October 2025</b> <b>Sotheby’s, Oct. 1-15:</b> Queen Elizabeth I. A queen’s defense of the realm, and the birth of the British Empire. $500,000 to $700,000. <b>Sotheby’s, Oct. 1-15:</b> Vanessa Bell — [Virginia Woolf]. An exceptional encapsulation of the Bloomsbury Group. A striking tile created by Vanesa Bell for her sister, Virginia Woolf, ca. Christmas 1926. $25,000 to $35,000. <b>Sotheby’s, Oct. 1-15:</b> Austen, Jane. A long and intimate autograph letter signed ("JA"), to Cassandra Austen. $300,000 to $400,000. <b>Sotheby’s, Oct. 1-15:</b> Austen, Jane. “Lines on Maria Beckford,” autograph manuscript signed ("Jane Austen"). $100,000 to $150,000. <b>Sotheby’s, Oct. 1-15:</b> [Austen, Jane]. Emma, the extraordinary Edgeworth-Butler copy. $250,000 to $350,000.
    Sotheby’s
    By a Lady
    1-15 October 2025
    Sotheby’s, Oct. 1-15: Queen Elizabeth I. A queen’s defense of the realm, and the birth of the British Empire. $500,000 to $700,000.
    Sotheby’s, Oct. 1-15: Vanessa Bell — [Virginia Woolf]. An exceptional encapsulation of the Bloomsbury Group. A striking tile created by Vanesa Bell for her sister, Virginia Woolf, ca. Christmas 1926. $25,000 to $35,000.
    Sotheby’s, Oct. 1-15: Austen, Jane. A long and intimate autograph letter signed ("JA"), to Cassandra Austen. $300,000 to $400,000.
    Sotheby’s, Oct. 1-15: Austen, Jane. “Lines on Maria Beckford,” autograph manuscript signed ("Jane Austen"). $100,000 to $150,000.
    Sotheby’s, Oct. 1-15: [Austen, Jane]. Emma, the extraordinary Edgeworth-Butler copy. $250,000 to $350,000.
  • <center><b>Rare Map, Book, and Autograph Fair<br>17 and 18 Oct</b><center> <center><b>Rare Map, Book, and Autograph Fair<br>17 and 18 Oct</b><center> <center><b>Rare Map, Book, and Autograph Fair<br>17 and 18 Oct</b><center>
    Rare Map, Book, and Autograph Fair
    17 and 18 Oct
    Rare Map, Book, and Autograph Fair
    17 and 18 Oct
    Rare Map, Book, and Autograph Fair
    17 and 18 Oct